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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

He noted that his period in medical care had influenced the group's music.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.